The second-best fighter from the Philippines wants competitive fights in order to show off his explosive power and prove he belongs on the same elite level as fellow countryman Manny Pacquiao.

It appeared the WBO/IBF super bantamweight champion had found one in Japan's Toshiaki Nishioka last Saturday night at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

Nishioka (39-5-3, 29 KOs) came into the fight with a reputation as one of the best fighters to ever come out of Japan, a fighter who hadn't lost in eight years (16 fights) and was considered the second best fighter to Donaire in the super bantam division.

Nishioka had been stripped of his super bantamweight title by the WBC for failure to make a mandatory defense due to "personal issues," but was give the title of "champion emeritus" by the WBC.

"He is the best," said Donaire before the fight. "That's why I chose him."

Donaire (30-1, 19 KOs), who had vaulted into the top five of most pound-for-pound lists with sensational knockouts over Fernando Montiel and Vic Darchinyan, had been forced to settle for lackluster decisions in his last three title defenses against defensive-minded opponents, who appeared to be satisfied with just going the distance with the Filipino.

Consequently, some ring observers were beginning to question Donaire's credentials as an elite fighter. Nishioka figured to supply some answers Saturday night.

But for the first five rounds, it looked like more of the same as Nishioka — with his right hand (he's a southpaw) glued to his head to guard against Donaire's vaunted left hook — offered little, if any, offense.

But in the sixth round, he began to open up a little and was "rewarded" by a lightning left uppercut from Donaire that knocked him on his butt. But he wasn't hurt and instead of retreating, Nishioka landed a couple of lefts of his own before the end of the round.

Indeed, the knockdown appeared to fire up Nishioka over the next three rounds as he began to answer Donaire's probing shots with his own shots, though still getting the worst of the exchanges.

In the ninth round, the Japanese visitor backed Donaire into the ropes and appeared ready to go on the attack, when Donaire — "I was playing possum" — suddenly fired a straight right hand that landed smack in the face of Nishioka, putting him down a second time.

He got up again, but this time it was on rubbery legs. It only took one more left from Donaire to convince Nishioka's corner to throw in the towel, prompting the referee to wave a halt to the contest.

It was a big win for Donaire, but one that may force him to move up yet another weight class to featherweight. He has already won world titles at flyweight (112), super flyweight (115), bantamweight (118) and super bantamweight (122).

The message he sent Saturday night to the rest of the super bantamweight contenders was clear: Against Nonito Donaire, you open up at your own peril.

This was an all-out, give-and-take war, reminiscent of the Micky Ward-Arturo Gatti classics, with Rios winning on a TKO in the seventh round.

Two judges had it all even after six rounds at 57-57, with the third judge favoring Rios, 58-56. I agreed with HBO scorekeeper Harld Lederman, who had Alvarao in front, 58-56.

Rios made it all academic when he caught Alvarado flush with a huge right hand in the seventh that put Alvarado on Where-Am-I Street. Alvarado didn't go down but several more clean shots by Rios left referee Pat Russell with no choice but to stop it.

But it is definitely a candidate for Fight of the Year.

By a unanimous vote, the Nevada Athletic Commission has suspended Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., at least until a disciplinary hearing when Chavez will have a chance to explain his positive drug test for marijuana following his loss to Sergio Martinez.

It being his second failed drug test in Nevada, Chavez faces a longer suspension than the first one he received of seven months.

Good card on Showtime this Saturday night when four-division champion Erik Morales (52-8, 36 KOs) tries to win back the WBA and WBC junior welterweight titles in a rematch with Danny Garcia (24-0, 15 KOs), who won the belts from Morales in March.

Also on the card from the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn will be two Brooklyn junior welterweights in separate fights. Paulie Malignaggi will defend his WBA welterweight belt against Pablo Cesar Cano, while Dmitriy "The Star of David" Salita takes on Hector Munoz.

Adonis "Superman" Stevenson (19-1, 16 KOs) put Donovan George (23-3-1) down five times on his way to a 12th-round TKO win in an IBF super middleweight eliminator at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

George, who went the distance in losing a unanimous decision against Worcester's Edwin Rodriguez two fights ago, went down twice in the fifth round, once in the sixth and twice more in the 12th.

Bob Hanna covers boxing for The Standard-Times. Contact him at sports@s-t.com